The resources of the EU earmarked for its regional and cohesion policies for 2014–20 amount to more than EUR 350 billion. The three EFTA/EEA states Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein are contributing approximately EUR 2.8 billion for the period 2014-21.

Although the new EU member states are catching up, significant economic and social disparities remain. Average per capita income in these countries is still clearly below that of the other member states.